15 June 2014

President Obama continues his tradition of releasing expansive and inclusive visions in his proclamations. There is a nice reference to gay fathers in the second paragraph of the Presidential Proclamation on Father's Day 2014.

Fatherhood is among the most difficult and rewarding jobs a man can have. It demands constant attention, frequent sacrifice, and a healthy dose of patience. Even in a time when technology allows us to connect instantly with almost anyone on earth, there is no substitute for a father's presence, care, and support. On Father's Day, we show our gratitude to the men who show us how to learn, grow, and live.

With encouragement and unconditional love, fathers guide their children and help them envision brighter futures. They are teachers and coaches, friends and role models. They instill values like hard work and integrity, and teach their kids to take responsibility for themselves and those around them. This is a task for every father -- whether married or single, gay or straight, natural or adoptive -- and every child deserves someone who will step up and fill this role. My Administration proudly supports dads who are not only present but also involved, who meet their commitments to their sons and daughters, even if their own fathers did not.

Today, let us reflect on our fathers' essential contributions to our lives, our society, and our Nation. Let us thank the men who understand there is nothing more important than being the best fathers they can be.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, in accordance with a joint resolution of the Congress approved April 24, 1972, as amended (36 U.S.C. 109), do hereby proclaim June 15, 2014, as Father's Day. I direct the appropriate officials of the Government to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on this day, and I call upon all citizens to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

The Obama Administration began the inclusive references to Father's Day with its first proclamation in 2009. That was also the first year that the White House held an historic reception for LGBT activists and their families to honor LGBT Pride and the 40th Stonewall anniversary. That has also become an annual tradition. The Obama Administration's sixth annual LGBT reception will happen later this month.

02 April 2013

Bishop Allen leads The Vision Church of Atlanta, the well-known progressive and inclusive Pentecostal congregation. Burgess—an R20 friend—is Chief of the Capacity Building Branch for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The couple has been together since 2002, were married in 2009 and recently welcomed a new addition: Caylee LaTanya Burgess-Allen.

"I don’t think there’s any greater thing that a human being can do than pour into another human being and raise a child," said Bishop Allen. It fulfills your life."

The law is President François Hollande’s first major social reform. ... [The bill] will allow same-sex couples the same spousal and adoption rights as their heterosexual counterparts. The move is France’s biggest social reform since the abolition of the death penalty in 1981. Speaking after the vote, Justice Minister Christiane Taubira told journalists "We've waged a great and noble battle."

The vote follows a lengthy and acrimonious parliamentary debate and more than 5,000 amendments put forward by the conservative opposition. The amendments, filed in order to delay proceedings, saw some 100 hours of parliamentary debate, often continuing into the early hours of the morning.

The issue has proved to be hugely divisive in a country steeped in conservative Catholic values, despite its global reputation as a progressive nation. While some 51% of people support same-sex marriage, less than half agree with equal rights involving children.

The Socialist-domniated Senate is scheduled to debate the bill on April 2. Approval is expected.

France would become the
12th nation to recognize equal marriage. Argentina, Belgium, Canada,
Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain
and Sweden already mandate equal marriage. Mexico City and two Mexican states also mandate equal marriage. Nine U.S. states and Washington DC have legalized same-sex marriage, too. Meanwhile: The UK's House of Commons overwhelmingly voted for a marriage bill last week.

Deputies voted 249-97 in favour of article one of the draft legislation, which redefines marriage as being an agreement between two people rather than necessarily between a man and a woman. The article approved on Saturday was supported by deputies of the ruling Socialist Party, who enjoy an overall majority in the Assembly, other leftists and Greens as well as at least one member of the UMP, the main centre-right opposition force.

"We are happy and proud to have taken this first step," Justice Minister Christiane Taubira said. "We are going to establish the freedom for everyone to choose his or her partner for a future together."

The debate began in parliament last week and will continue through a final vote scheduled for February 12. The bill is expected to pass. France would become the 12th nation to recognize equal marriage. Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway Portugal, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and Sweden already mandate equal marriage.

08 November 2012

On the same day that many Americans were celebrating historic election wins for LGBT equality, there was also significant progress overseas. France's new Socialist government introduced a bill to recognize marriage equality and gay adoptions on Wednesday, reports TIME and the New York Times.

President Francois Hollande and his Socialist Party have a majority in both houses of Parliament, and the bill is expected to pass sometime early next year. Christiane Taubira, the justice minister, told the conservative newspaper La Croix that "marriage for all" was a response to "a demand for equality."

The draft law redefines marriage to stipulate that it is "contracted between two persons of different sex or of the same sex" and the words "father" and "mother" in existing legislation are replaced by "parents." The bill would also allow married gay couples to adopt children.

But the move to legalize same-sex marriage has been controversial, and the bill was subject to delays in a country where only married couples can adopt. Opinion polls indicate that a majority of the French support gay marriage, but only half approve of allowing gays to adopt.

Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, the archbishop of Paris, voiced his opposition to the proposed legislation at a meeting of French bishops in Lourdes over the weekend. Opening up marriage to same-sex couples "would be a transformation of marriage that would affect everyone," he said. At the same time, failing to recognize gender difference within marriage and the family would be a "deceit" that would rock the foundations of society and lead to discrimination between children, he said.

Other religious groups in France, including Muslims, Jews and Buddhists, have also expressed their concern over the draft bill, and more than 100 lawmakers are against the legislation, according to CNN affiliate BFM-TV. Hundreds of mayors around the country have also voiced their opposition to the bill.

France would become the 12th nation to recognize equal marriage. Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway Portugal, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and Sweden currently mandate marriage equality. Mexico City also grants same-sex marriages which are recognized throught Mexico.

Nine states now allow marriage equality—Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington—as does the
District of Columbia.

07 May 2012

South Africa's ruling African National Congress has distanced itself from an MP's homophobic comments and says it "has never considered debating" the nation's constitutionally protected LGBT rights. This comes after the City Pressclaimed over the weekend that the ANC was considering the National House of Traditional Leaders' proposal to strip the constitutional protections.

ANC MP and chairperson of the constitutional review committee Patekile Holomisa said sexual orientation had always been a touchy subject for the ruling party’s caucus. "The last time this issue was discussed was about same-sex marriages. Most of the people in the caucus were opposed to it, but then Luthuli House and the leadership instructed us to vote for it."

Holomisa, who is also the head of the Congress of Traditional Leaders, said the ANC was aware that the "great majority does not want to give promotion and protection to these things" but that the party’s own policy dictated full rights for everyone. The ANC’s caucus will now debate whether or not the matter should be discussed in Parliament.

On Sunday, the Office of ANC Chief Whip Mathole Motshekga said it had noted, with great concern, Holomisa's remarks about gay rights. Motshekga said he would meet with Holomisa to discuss the remarks. "The ANC caucus distances itself from these views and would like it noted that at no stage has it considered debating this issue before Parliament," Motshekga said.

A growing multitude of American children [are] being raised by gay and lesbian parents, often without all the legal protections afforded to mom-and-dad households. Increasingly, the welfare of these children will be a core part of gay-rights strategies, as evidenced by a comprehensive report [released] Tuesday. Compiled by an alliance of advocacy and child-welfare groups, it summarizes how laws and social stigma create distinctive challenges for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender families.

"There are myriad ways that our families are discounted by government at all levels, and children are hurt the most," said Jennifer Chrisler of the Family Equality Council, one of the three groups authoring the report.

The report estimates that about 2 million children are being raised by same-sex parents. The report builds on data released by the Census Bureau on same-sex couples, income, education and housing.

Among the obstacles faced:

—Many government safety net programs use definitions of family tied to marital status which may exclude same-sex partners. —Because of lack of legal recognition for their unions, gay and lesbian parents can face heavier tax burdens, higher costs for health insurance, and diminished financial protections in the event of death or disability. —When same-sex parents separate, one parent may lose custody or visitation rights, even in cases where he or she had been a child's primary caregiver.

Overshadowing all these problems is "pervasive social stigma," notes the report.

The AP notes: "The families are striking for their diversity —encompassing many low-income and minority households, and spread across about 96 percent of America's counties." New data show that same-sex couples raising children are more than likely to be Black and live in the South. These are also states that offer the least legal protections for same-sex couples and families. This was in our special for the October 2011 EBONY: "Making It Work: Black Same Sex Couples Raising Kids in the South."

11 October 2011

Very dissapointing.The Supreme Court has declined to hear the case of a gay California couple who sought to have both of their names listed on their adopted son's birth certificate. The case was considered a "significant test" on the rights of gay couples who adopt a child.

The San Diego couple legally adopted a 1 year-old boy from Shreveport, Louisiana, in 2006. The adoption was later finalized in New York state, where the couple was then residing, reports CNN.

The justices rejected the California couple's appeal Tuesday without comment. The couple claims that Louisiana, where the child was born, has an unconstitutional policy against adoption by unmarried partners. The state used that policy to justify naming only one of them on an amended birth certificate. The men, Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith, argue gay couples have a due process right to be listed on such certificates as joint custodial parents. A federal appeals court ruled against the couple earlier this year.

Darlene Smith, Louisiana's registrar of vital records and statistics, refused their request. She took the position that the term "adoptive parents" in the applicable section of state law applies only to married parents, because in Louisiana, only married couples may jointly adopt a child.

Louisiana state officials argued they did not refuse to recognize the New York adoption decree, and had offered to list one of the parents on the official amended birth certificate. But Adar and Smith insisted both of them should be named.

A favorable ruling in the case was expected to have broad implications in the current legal battle over same sex marriage that is winding its way through the state and federal courts. But the case "did not raise the basic question" of whether same-sex couples have the legal right to adopt, reports the SCOTUS Blog.

Rather, the issue was whether they have a right to equal treatment with married non-gay couples in having both parents’ names listed on the child’s birth certificate. The case also was considered an important case on the meaning of the Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause, because of the sharply narrow scope given to that Clause by the Fifth Circuit Court.

"By denying this writ, the Supreme Court is leaving untouched a dangerous Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling," said Kenneth D. Upton, Supervising Senior Staff Attorney. "That carves out an exception to the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution and to the uniformly recognized respect for judgments that states have come to rely upon. This decision leaves adopted children and their parents vulnerable in their interactions with officials from other states."

21 August 2011

A major win for equality in Illinois. The state is not required to renew its contracts with Catholic Charities if the organizations discriminate against unmarried and gay couples when placing children for adoption or foster care, a judge ruled on Thursday.

[L]awyers for Catholic Charities urged Sangamon County Circuit Judge John Schmidt to prevent the state from suddenly severing a partnership that has funded foster care and adoption services in Illinois for four decades.

But Schmidt wrote in his ruling released Thursday that the longevity of the relationship between the state and Catholic Charities in Joliet, Peoria, Springfield and Belleville did not entitle them to automatic renewal of their contracts. "No citizen has a recognized legal right to a contract with the government," Schmidt wrote.

In discussions after the civil union bill went into effect in June, Catholic Charities told the state that accommodating prospective foster parents in civil unions would violate Catholic Church teaching that defines marriage between a man and a woman.

Five days before the civil unions law went into effect, the Catholic Diocese of Rockford laid off 58 workers and chose to end all adoption and foster care services rather than comply with the state's new civil unions legislation. So much for "the children" ....

Catholic Charities of Joliet is one of three plaintiffs in the case, which also includes Catholic Charities in the dioceses of Peoria and Springfield. Catholic Charities sought the preliminary injunction, which was issued in Sangamon County Circuit Court, after being notified last week that the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services would not renew foster care and adoption contracts with the agencies.

The DCFS letter came in the midst of a legal fight centered on the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, which permitted civil unions between gay and unmarried couples but also granted certain freedoms to religious groups with beliefs opposed to such unions.

Catholic Charities wants to continue its past practice of referring gay and unmarried couples to other agencies for foster care and adoption services. ... A DCFS spokesman would only say Tuesday that the agency is reviewing the order. Gov. Pat Quinn and other state officials have said that the decision to terminate the relationship with Catholic Charities was based on the organization’s unwillingness to comply with the new state law.

Five days before the civil unions law went into effect, the Catholic Diocese of Rockford laid off 58 workers and chose to end all adoption and foster care services rather than comply with the state's new civil unions legislation.